At least 17 people deported from the United States to Ghana say they were subsequently sent to their home countries against their will, despite US immigration judges having ruled that they should not be returned there.
The individuals were among 63 people aboard a deportation flight from Texas to West Africa. Of the 19 deportees reached who had been sent to Ghana, 17 said Ghanaian authorities later transferred them to their countries of origin against their wishes.
The accounts raise questions about the treatment of deportees transferred to third countries under US immigration enforcement arrangements, particularly when individuals have legal rulings preventing their return to their home countries.
The accounts raise questions about the treatment of deportees transferred to third countries under US immigration enforcement arrangements, particularly when individuals have legal rulings preventing their return to their home countries.
A lawyer representing the US Department of Homeland Security said he was unaware of cases in which Ghana had sent deportees back to their home countries against their will.
The lawyer defended third-country deportations, arguing that the policy had helped prevent crime and improve public safety in the United States.
The deportees’ accounts highlight concerns about what happens to individuals after they are transferred to a country other than their own, particularly when they face the prospect of being returned to places they fear.
